Brock's Star
by OwleyeProductions
Summary: Everyone knows about Brock's player-ish attitude towards pretty girls he meets, but does anyone know how Brock REALLY feels about girls? Take a look into Brock's first real love. Mild violence, language, and some referances
1. I Am

One

I am me. I was known as the kid with squinty eyes who followed Ash Ketchum around, but since then my eyes have gotten much less squinty and I no longer follow Ash. But that doesn't mean he's not my one and only best friend. Back then, I was also known as somewhat of a player, but the girls didn't exactly come to me, I chased after them. Ah, girls. Wherever we went there were always beautiful girls. Girls with nice hair, girls with pretty eyes, girls with nice bodies, girls with great personalities...but none of the girls I chased, or met, or kindly assisted ever showed any interest in me. Well, a few did, but most of them became some of my greatest friends while the others soon forgot about me. So after Ash and Dawn were finished with Sinnoh, I decided that maybe I should something on my own for once.

So I did.

After finding a neat little apartment in Seatwist City in the region of Shunoh, I began looking after my team and focused more on Pokemon and my passion for them. And so, at the age of sixteen, I finally started living my _own _life. I never had much of a childhood, always looking after my many siblings while my dad was away, but after I met the arrogant yet persistent Ash, I decided to join him, just to see what life as a trainer was like. I had countless adventures with Ash, Misty, May, Max, and Dawn, and I would be a liar to say it wasn't fun, but after going through region after region, doing pretty much the same thing everytime, I grew bored. Well, maybe not bored, but I was definitely ready to do my own thing after a while.

But those great years I had I had in Seatwist City were some of the best years of my life. Relying on only myself, I became stronger as a person and a breeder. It was a sweet sense of freedom that I had been longing for my whole life. It was amazing. But, I was still missing someone. That someone who would always be on my side, comfort me, and bring utmost joy to my life. I needed someone to love ,who would love me in return. But, no matter how hard I longed, searched for, and hoped, I never found her.

But that was over four years ago, and like I said, I've changed. That girl I hoped for has long gone faded away.


	2. Birthday

Two

The doorbell rang, awakening me from my nap. I checked the clock which read 2:44 PM. Good job, Ash, always on time. Rolling off the couch and landing on the rough wood paneled floor with a grunt, I tousled my dark brown hair and made my way to the door. Swinging the wooden door open, I beamed. An eighteen-year-old Ash Ketchum stood before me with his usual lop-sided raven black hair and a cheesy blue shirt on that said "Sweet Seatwist!" that I am not ashamed to admit that I own in another color. Ash's face broke into a huge grin.

"Brrrrrrock!"

He suddenly charged into me and hoisted me up a few feet off the ground in a surprisingly strong man hug.

"Ash, man, you've gotten strong! It's good to see ya."

Ash set me back down and gave me a real hug this time. As he did so, a familiar mousey creature crawled out of Ash's shirt and leaped onto my head with a happy squeak.

"Pikachu missed you! Dude, you look good. It's been too long." Ash replied. I chuckled and scooped up Pikachu, who had gotten considerably larger and leaner than the last time we saw each other. Pikachu smiled and dug his head into my shoulder. "Been training much?" I gestured for him to come in as I entered my apartment.

"Yep! Pikachu's gotten _much_ stronger. We just perfected Flash Cannon earlier this week and it's looking pretty good."

I plopped down on my old green couch, letting Pikachu scamper off to examine the place.

"Nice! You guys are really going places. How's the whole 'Pokemon Master' title coming along?"

Ash shrugged, "meh, I think 'Elite Four Champion' has a better ring to it." I rolled my eyes with a laugh. Same old Ash.

"Well, could you explain why you were so late today?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow. He blushed and shrugged once again.

"Um...I forgot to set my alarm, and the blimps were running late today, so, uh, yeah..."

Before I could respond with a clever remark, the bell rang once again. I jumped up to see who it was to find two girls- one had long, blue-black hair and blueish-gray eyes while the other had two light brown braids and a red bandana. I swung open the door to greet them, but was bombarded with a barrage of girly chatter and well-meant hugs.

"Hi guys! Glad you could make it."

"Well of course we would make it, it's Misty's birthday after all!" May squealed.

"Yeah! Besides, who would decorate?" Dawn added with a sly smile.

I raised my hands in defeat and backed down, letting the seventeen-year-old girls do what they wanted. I had, after all, dragged them out across a few regions just so we could throw Misty a surprise party.

"Hold up! Don't forget about me!"

Everyone turned to see a fifteen-year-old Max standing in the doorway with thick glasses and a Zigzagoon perched on his shoulder.

"Nice apartment." He commented.

"Nice Pokemon, Maxie! Wow, you're so tall!" I beamed, totally embarrassing the kid.

"My name's Max, Brock." He grumbled, trying to hide a small smile. I gave him a good hug and scratched his young Zigzagoon right under the chin, just where they liked it, before leading him in. Us guys talked, catching up on stories and whatnot while the girls feverishly decorated my simple apartment; which worried me a bit, but I trusted May to make sure that Dawn didn't go overboard or do anything permenant. Just that thought made me shudder.

At six 'o clock the doorbell finally rang, which reduced us to silence. "HIDE!" I mouthed dramatically, which everyone did. As I walked to the door I could hear an impatient foot tapping and as I opened the door, I saw a stunning girl with choppy red hair and sea-green eyes. "Hey, Mist." I said warmly. I mean, _wow. _I had always thought of her as a sister, but, still. She had matured a lot.

"Hey, Brock! Thanks for having me over, I've been meaning to come out here. Shunoh looks fantastic!" She gave me a big hug, and I looped my arm with hers with a laugh before marching us into my living room. All of a sudden, everyone leapt out of their hiding places with a yell, absolutely surprising Misty, who's eyes had tripled in size.

"My God! You guys, just, AH! I love you guys!" She yelled, hugging the girls, then me, then Max, then, a little shyly, she hugged Ash. I smiled when I saw the way that they looked at each other. Adorable. Then, without warning, Dawn came out of my kitchen carrying a huge birthday cake with eighteen candles already lit and flickering beautifully. We all belted out the happy birthday song at the top of our lungs, making Misty laugh hysterically.

"Blow out the candles!" Ash yelled, and with one last laugh, Misty took a huge gulp of air and blew out all of the candles.

"What'd you wish for?" May asked excitedly, and Misty looked at all of us with shimmering, teary eyes and the biggest grin.

"It already came true!" She declared. We all cheered and in his excitement, Ash put an arm around her shoulder, and she even rested her head on him. I immediately felt a pang of envy for the two, but swept it aside because it was one of my best friend's birthday.


	3. Vulpix

Three

I checked the clock for about the billionth time, but it still read 6:21 AM. Ugh. After cake we had wasted the hours talking, catching up, sharing crazy stories, playing video games, and, well, making up our own games. It was a blast, but now that everybody was asleep (the result of a failed "all-nighter") and I was, of course, the only one awake, I found myself getting rather lonely and wistful.

"Vui." My Vulpix mewed tiredly as she clambered up unto my lap and sat down patiently, staring at me with her maroon eyes.

"Hi, Vulpix. Why are you still up? You've been up all night."

She just stared at me before she bit at my shirt then, my fingers as I tried to get her to stop, which just made me laugh. After a little bit of this she leapt off my lap and onto the balcony that I had paid a good amount of money for. Standing on a wooden rocking chair, Vulpix raised her nose to the sea where the sun would rise shortly and closed her eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of salt water. Don't get me wrong, I do love the earthy aromas of the mountains and the rough textures, but I'd just grown so used to the sea throughout my travels as a kid, therefore developing a love for the ocean. It was my second home.

I stared up at the dimming stars for a second, before declaring to Vulpix, "let's go for a walk." She barked happily and scampered after me as I sprinted lightly past my sleeping friends and out the door. Not even bothering to grab a pair of shoes, I exited my apartment building and immediately ran in a mad sprint with my loyal Vulpix on my tail. There wasn't much rhyme or reason to why I was at such an hour, but all I knew was that I just had to. I had to run.

That first few seconds, or maybe even longer for others who are more fit than me, but for those first few seconds that you're sprinting, you're overcome with such an invigorating feeling. A feeling of power and independence, like, "this is me, I can do something on my own" kind of thing. It's strange, but it's also rather surreal. Then you start sweating and running out of breath and then running becomes laborious and just not fun anymore. So I slowed down to a walk and began strolling through the city.

Seatwist City has many different areas, the part I lived in was a bit more urban and beachy while the central and more famous are was the bustling metropolis of downtown Seatwist. There they had all the major companies, high-tech and ultra modern buildings and sky scrapers, and, most importantly, the Seatwist City gym, the 8th gym in Shunoh. The leader, Raven, was _quite _the superstar. Then there was the suburbs that tended to be a bit more rural than the rest of the city, but urban ebough that there weren't any serious ranches out there. Mostly cute little farms with a vegetable garden and a Miltank or a few Ponyta.

Today, thankfully, was the Farmer's Market, so I hadn't dashed out of the house for _no _absolute reason. I was pretty famous for my cooking, nevertheless, I still wanted to give my friends a great breakfast and a taste of Shunoh (though none of them were particularly picky eaters). Following a concrete sidewalk, we walked a few miles with the sun and the sea to our right till we turned onto a pretty popular street that was just starting to wake up. Already the street was lined with all kinds of stands that had just been set up or were still getting situated; and a few determined early birds like me could also be found browsing through the stands' wares.

I started at a vegetable stand, then moved onto an apple stand before heading over to a colorful tropical fruit stand. With my arms full of paper bags filled with apples and veggies, (trust me, Ash could really eat) I entered under the shade of the tarp above and was hit by the lovely aroma of citrus. I was to occupied with my fruit gathering to notice a girl with beautiful long black hair and opal eyes who had just walked in and had also begun to examine the fruit. Having set my five bags of previously bought food down, I scooped up the fruit in my arms and ran/leaped/stumbled over to the owner and paid for the fruit. With a determined sigh, I picked up the two new paper bags and (for real this time) stumbled over to Vulpix and the other five bags. Staring at the paper bags on the ground and the paper bags in my arms, I tried to formulate a plan that would somehow make this work. Easing myself down, I took the five bags by the handles and slowly stood up. Waiting for a moment to make sure I was ok, I grinned and started off out of the tent but stopped short by a sickening tearing sound. I peered over the bags in my arms to see four bags worth of vegetables fall from the torn bag and roll onto the concrete.

"Crap!" I muttered with a groan.

But before I could bend down to start collecting the stray vegetables, a girl with long black hair and opal eyes was already gathering them up in her arms. I bit back a gasp. She was stunning, even more than Misty, or than anyone or anything I had ever seen, for that matter. Her shiny black hair fell around her like silk, and her eyes, oh wow, her eyes seemed to glimmer every time she blinked. She had long, tanned, slender arms and a skinny, but also kind of curvy body, and muscular, but still skinny legs. She was gorgeous. Realizing that I was standing there like an idiot, I quickly bent down and helped her collect the vegetables. As I did, she glanced up at me with a smile.


	4. Role Model

Four

"Hi, hello. Having trouble?" I stared at her for the longest time while she returned to picking up the produce. She looked back up with a puzzled expression.

"Uh, you ok?"

Shaking myself I nodded and helped her.

"Er, yeah. Sorry about all this, you didn't have to help." I finally said, mentally slapping my forward for my total awkwardness. But, she just smiled sweetly and, with her arms full of vegetables and fruit, she stood up, waiting for me.

"It's no problem at all! But what's with all the food?"

With all the produce in my arms, I too rose, and we stood there, looking at each other.

"I, um, had a surprise birthday party last night with a bunch of friends, and I was going to make omelettes for them." Her eyes brightened.

"Oooh! A party? Sounds like fun! Here, let's go get some more bags." She determinedly strode back into the tent with me following close behind. Asking the cashier for doubled bags, she carefully dumped her load into the bags, then held some open for mine.

"I, uh, thank you. You didn't have too." She just laughed and picked up her bags.

"You're a very grateful person. It's totally not a problem, I have no one waiting for me at home and nothing to do today, anyways." I noticed that she looked a bit sad at the last comment, so I decided I might as well ask her the obvious.

"You wanna come over? As you can see, I've got plenty of food." She laughed and nodded happily.

"Sure! I wouldn't want to be a bother though..."

"No! Of course not! I would love to have you over." I winced; holy crap did I say _love_? I didn't even know her name! God I was stupid.

"Well thank you! Sounds like fun." She replied, bouncing up and down like a little girl. The sight made me chuckle as I hefted my bags up and offered to take one of her bags, but she stubbornly declined.

"No! I've got it!"

"But I'm supposed to be the gentleman!" She stuck out her tongue playfully, but I snuck up from behind her and snatched a bag from arms. She scowled, but I grinned and led the way out the tent. We got to walking back to my apartment when Vulpix jumped out of some bushes, scaring us. She meowed smugly and smiled, but the girl looked at her fondly and scratched her head.

"Is she yours?" The girl asked.

"Um, yeah. Sorry about that, she's rather sneaky." She just laughed and shrugged.

"It's fine! I have a Grumpig who's love is to pull pranks on me whenever he can just because he's evolved. Annoying, but totally loyal and caring. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world." She stared absentmindedly at the ocean, silhouetting her against the morning sun.

"What's your name?" I asked quietly, just above a whisper.

"Ava, Ava Price. And you?"

We started walking again. "I'm Brock Springsteen." She stopped and looked at me in awe.

"Whoa, wait. You're _the _Brock Springsteen? As in, Brock Springsteen the world renown Pokemon breeder?"

I shrugged, "yeah I guess so. Not really 'world renown' though. Just...me." Ava beamed.

"Yeah, but you're, oh wow. You're Brock Springsteen for God's sake! You pretty much re-wrote the Pokedex!"

I awkwardly scratched my head, "uh, not really. I just have a passion for Pokemon and the Pokedex's information was misleading so I fixed it." She shook her head and looked at me from behind her hair with a sly smile.

"You're just you...wow."

"Yup."

"Well I'm glad to hear that, cause you've always been my role model." I felt my face heat up as I blushed violently, which made Ava laugh hysterically; a sight and sound that was utterly beautiful, so I didn't mind.


	5. Awe

Five

We arrived at my apartment shortly, in mid-conversation about the qualities we each looked for in Pokemon when I kicked open the door with my foot and propped it open for her. She nodded a thanks and stepped in where she waited for me before we walked into the stairwell and started up the stairs when really, we could've taken the elevator, _but _she didn't know that so she didn't mind. Once we reached the third floor we turned into my hall and walked towards my door. With our arms full, I kicked at the door while Vulpix scratched at it until a half awake Max opened the door with a mumble and let us in.

Ava raised her eyebrows but didn't say a word.

"That's Max, my friend May's little brother."

She nodded as I lead her into my kitchen and placed the produce on the wooden kitchen island and turned towards Ava.

"Wanna help cook?"

Her face broke into a huge grin as she nodded. "Of course!"

I couldn't help but smile as I got out the pans, bowls, whisks, and other such utensils before we began one of the greatest undertakings you could imagine- cooking enough food for both Ash and Dawn. We slaved over the hot and rather crappy stove for about an hour as my friends began waking up and eating multiple omelettes, fruit, and toast; but, Ava and I did it together and that ultimately made me cheery as we worked. FINALLY, everyone was full and Ava and I got to eat our own breakfast. While Ava was fixed on the ocean view from the open balcony doors Dawn asked,

"So, are you guys going out yet?" Taken aback, I blushed.

"Dawn!"

"Well, I was just wondering. You guys look good together!" Dawn held up her hands in defense as I glanced at Ava, who had her eyes closed and a small smile on her face as she soaked up the sun's morning glow. She's so cute and smart and...funny. She makes me so happy just to be around her. Was I _really_ in love?

"Hellooo? Brock?"

I snapped awake from my thoughts and daydreams at the sound of May's voice.

"Uh, yeah?"

"What's with you? Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Oh yeah! That must be it!" Dawn concluded knowingly.

"No, I'm fine! Just a bit worn out thanks to your guys ravenous appetite. Do you realize how much you eat, Dawn?" She looked a bit hurt as _I _realized how girls take that kind of comment.

"Dawn, I swear, I didn't mean it like that." The look of hurt in her eyes vanished almost instantly as a teasing smile stretched across her face.

"Oh I know, Brockasaur!" I rolled my eyes at the stupid childhood nickname but grinned anyways.

"Dude, it's a _talent_ to be able to eat that much. Trust me, I would know." Ash piped up pulling up a chair next to me.

"Oh yeah, Ash, _totally._" May smirked jokingly.

"Hey May, you've been known to pig out, too." May gawked at him in dismay, but her mouth shut and turned into a sly grin.

"What?" Ash inquired, puzzled by her quick recovery. Just as he did, Misty dumped her cup of water over his head, completely soaking him.

"Oh nothing!" May replied as the girls giggled hysterically, specifically Ava who had actually been listening the whole time. Ash crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair and shook his head like a dog, spraying the girls with water.

"I'll get you back later, Mist." He declared and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever."

"So Ava," Max asked, changing the subject to my dread (I just hoped he wouldn't ask her anything weird or embarrassing), "what do you do?" I let out a sigh of relief as Ava turned to face the rest of the group.

"I'm a photojournalist."

"That sounds cool! What does a photojournalist do?" She beamed.

"I work for The World Around Us, a nature magazine, where I write articles usually about Pokemon and how they interact with their environment. But before I write I get to take photos so I'm able to travel around a lot, and it is _so _much fun! I absolutely love it." I found myself fixated by her as she spoke because I was discovering another layer to her; I was dying to learn more about what made her this joyful and inspired. I also noticed everyone looking from Ava to me as she spoke with a sense of awe and new found realization and most importantly, a child-like glee.

"That's so awesome, Ava." Misty told her with a look of awe on her face that everyone else seemed to share.

"Hey Brock, can I talk to you?" May asked, grabbing my arm with Dawn right behind her.

"Uh yeah, about what?"

They didn't really care about what I thought of it, they just dragged me out into my living room and faced me with hope filled faces.

"You've found your girl." May said simply.


	6. Anchor

Six

"Huh?"

Dawn's face twisted into a brilliant sideways grin.

"Stop acting stupid! Sheesh, I thought you were the genius in the group!"

"Seriously, Brock, she's _incredible._ A little out there, yes, but it's like she was made for you." May said with an earnest look.

"Heaven sent." Dawn added.

"Most definitely."

"I, uh, I don't know..."

"What's to know, Brock? You two obviously like each other." Dawn snapped.

"So...?"

"So don't let her just pass out of you're life like all the others! Fight for her, fall in love with her, isn't this the girl you've been searching for your whole life?" May demanded.

"Brock?" Ava quietly asked, poking her head around the doorway.

"Yes?" We all turned towards her and the girls gave me encouraging smiles before strolling back into the kitchen.

"Um, I think I have to get going. I left Grumpig at home and he's probably gonna get mad when he wakes up."

"Oh, oh yeah. Cool. Here, I'll, uh, walk you home."

Ava smiled and offered her arm, which I looked at in confusion. She giggled and looped her arm under mine so they linked as we headed towards the door.

"Bye Ava, it was nice meeting you!" Misty shouted, along with everyone else who yelled goodbyes.

"Hey Vulpix, you wanna come?" I asked, spotting the fox curled up in an arm chair. Instead, my obnoxious sombrero wearing Ludicolo popped out from nowhere and grabbed Ava's hands joyously, swinging her around. I groaned and slapped my forehead, grabbing Ava's wrist and yanking her eagerly out the door. Ludicolo bounced around in a jaunty fashion, which had Vulpix transfixed by his strange, swaying gestures as we strolled out of the building and into the open air.

"Ava, I'm sorry if my friends made you feel awkward or something, they're just-"

"No," she interjected, "It's absolutely fine! I love your friends, they all seem so..."

"Stupid?" I offered, which made her giggle.

"No! Of course not! I was thinking of something more along the lines of 'close' or 'kissing cousin-y'. Cozy."

She gave me a small smile, which made me blush so my attention quickly turned to my feet, which I just realized were bare. I then looked at her feet, realizing that they were bare too and one even had a tattoo of an intricate blue anchor.

"You're foot..."

"Oh this?" She asked, sticking out her left heel of the foot that was tattoed.

"Yeah, it's..." my voice trailed off again as I studied the complex pattern of the anchor on her foot.

"It's incredible! I mean, how'd they do that?" Ava shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, I drew it so they could copy it as a tattoo." I ran my hand through my hair in pure awe.

"That's awesome. How'd you come up with it?" We both started walking again and she started with a wistful sigh.

"Well, it was three years ago, I was seventeen at the time, probably at a high point in my life, and I was in Ever Grande City on a job, researching the rare Relicanth. Originally, I'm from Hoenn, so I was overjoyed when I heard about the assignment, so of course I went. Have you ever been there?"

"Ever Grande City?"

"Yeah." I smiled to myself as I remembered the trials of the Elite Four Ash had to go through on that beautiful island. I was dissappointed when I heard Ash wanted to go straight the the Battle Frontier instead of spending some time sightseeing, so I'd never really had a chance to go back.

"Yes, I have." Ava grinned and continued.

"My second day there, we went diving in the area that a small school of Relicanth had been seen, but, no matter what we tried, we couldn't find them. So, the last night there, I had a feeling that I should at least try again, one last time, so I got my Watortle and we scuba dived. I remember it was a full moon and the tide was way high and the reefs were teeming with sea Pokemon, and it was...amazing." She paused, and her eyes swam with raw emotion as if she were there, scuba diving at night in search for a rare fish.

"My Watortle suddenly darted off and I was scared. I was all alone deep underwater in the middle of the night and no one knew I was there and," she sucked in a breath, "I regretted diving and taking the job and becoming a photojournalist because in that moment, I felt an overwhelming feeling of despair. I thought I was going to drown." She shook her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Sorry, just, I haven't thought about this in a while." I instinctively draped an arm around her shoulder and she looked up at me with a shy smile.

"It's perfectly fine! You don't have to finish-"

"No, I think I need to." She looked determinedly at the sky and continued.

"I, I remember that in the shortest of seconds, I heard Watortle calling out to me, and as I followed her voice, I found that she had discovered this huge, teal anchor that leaned against the entrance of this underwater cave. Relieved I had found her, we started to leave, but then the most magical thing happened. The moonlight hit the anchor just the right way and the anchor directed the beam of light into the cave and this school of four or five Relicanth swam out. Long story short, I was promoted for getting the very first photographs of a school of Relicanth. I owed that all to the anchor, so I decided to have a permanent memoir with me to never give up hope, no matter what."

"That was beautiful, Ava." I said quietly and she looked at me from behind her hair.

"Thank you, Brock. You know, I don't think I've ever shared that with anyone except my sister..." We were quiet for awhile, walking down the road with the sea to our right and the sun crawling up in the sky overhead. We made it to a cute little house just off the beach that she modestly declared hers when she stated, "Brock, you should come to the beach with me tonight. My friend Alyssa is having a party tonight and it'll be fun! There'll be a bonfire, music, barbecue, marshmallows, you know, the works. I would love it if you could come!"

I shrank away from the word "party", except for when it was a private birthday party like Misty's was. I was pretty awkward when It came to drinking and dancing and stuff, so I wasn't really sure if I did want to go. But, there was a major plus: Ava.

"Oh, uh, sure. Sounds great." Ava beamed and cheered, dancing her way up her porch steps and to her door.

"Thank you, Brock! Breakfast was stupendous! Horsea Beach, tonight, eight o'clock!"


	7. Preparations

Seven

"BROCK, you just _have _to wear this tonight!" May squealed excitedly, shoving a black blazer in my face that I didn't even knew I owned.

"No, it's too formal, May! Brockasaur, will you promise me you'll wear this tonight, pretty please!" Dawn demanded, giving me a puppy face that could win over any unsuspecting guy. She fluttered a green plaid flannel shirt in my face till I swatted it away in annoyance.

"Guys, seriously, I don't need your help. I'm twenty, I think I can dress myself by now."

The twosome rolled their eyes dramatically at me, but still continued to raid my pathetic excuse for a closet. Misty, who had been leaning nonchalantly in the doorway, sensed my distress and shooed the girls away.

"Hey guys, chill. I'm sure Brock appreciates it, but I think he can handle picking out an outfit by himself."

Dawn and May pouted but, nevertheless, exited the room to my relief. I raised my eyebrows at her and golf clapped her accomplishment as she bowed gracefully.

"Thanks, Mist. I owe ya one."

She just smiled carelessly.

"Yeah, I know."

I peeked into my closet with uncertainty and bit my lip. Wow, I _so _did not know what I was going to wear. I actually began to wander if maybe I did need Dawn and May's help when Misty hastily pushed me aside and began rummaging through the rack of clothes.

"I knew you'd need some help." Misty said plainly with a grin.

"You're still the same old Brock who'd wear a vest and hiking boots to a pool party." I blushed, remembering Max's tenth birthday party at a luxurious pool that I had accidentally worn boots and a vest too. Ah, the sweet embarrassment that comes with unexperienced adolescence. Misty pulled out a white v-neck and the black blazer May had picked out.

"Try this."

I took off my shirt and slipped on the v-neck and blazer before returning to the full body mirror in the closet door. It looked...good, actually. It was definitely me.

"Hm, your shorts look dorky with the rest of your clothes. Here," she threw me some jeans, "get these on. It'll look _much_ better."

Misty ducked out of the room while I changed and popped back in when I said I was done. The jeans were dark, and slightly fitted, but were baggy enough for my liking.

"Since it's a beach party, you should roll up your jeans once or twice when you get there, otherwise, you can wear those raggedly old converse of yours."

I grinned at her as I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"Thanks, Misty. I appreciate it."

Misty just rolled her eyes and smiled before strolling out of the room.

"Have fun tonight, Brock."

* * *

I arrived at Ava's house at 7:45, excited, but also nervous. Heaven knows what could happen tonight. Then, as I approached her door, something occurred to me. This was something like a date. Whoa. My nervousness evolved into a ballet of butterflies that danced throughout my stomach as I knocked on the door and heard a thunder of footsteps down the stairs.

What opened the door was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in my life.

Ava beamed as she twirled around in a sky blue dress and a grey and white striped boyfriend cardigan. Her eyes glittered with excitement as she asked, "How do I look?"

"Beautiful." I breathed as I gazed like an imbecile at her in awe.

She giggled and blushed.

"Oh, why thank you, Brock. You look rather dashing yourself."

Dashing, I thought humorously. Only she would say that.

"Thanks, shall we head off?"

She grinned.

"Absolutely!" We linked arms as she lead the way to Horsea Beach that was just a block away. Curiously, I looked at her feet again to find them bare and shoe-less.

"No shoes?"

"Nope! Never! Just not for me!" She sang with a giggle. I laughed too as we strode down the boardwalk to our destination.

"So how's your Grumpig?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Fine, but very, well, grumpy. He's always griping about something."

I chuckled and nodded. "Yes, they are very grouchy, but they make up for it in loyalty, don't they?"

"Oh yeah, most definitely. I trust him with my life; we've known each other since we were little. What about you? What was your first Pokemon?"

"Mine was an Onix. He's a great friend." I smiled fondly and ruffled my hair.

"Whoa, an _Onix? _That's incredible! They're huge! Wasn't it hard, you know, training him?"

"A bit. In the beginning he was very stubborn and thick-sculled," she laughed at the irony which made me grin, "but once I got through to him, he's a very powerful friend to have."

We were both quiet for awhile as we walked until I noticed an orange light in the distance about the size of my thumbnail that flickered feverishly as people threw things into it. Ava squealed and grabbed my hand as we sprinted towards the beach. Her face was radiant in the crescent moonlight as she grinned a huge, toothy grin.

"Oh my goodness, it's all so, stunning!" She murmured at the sight of the navy blue sea and the horizon painted with a mixture of black and twinkling stars. When we neared the bonfire and the sound of music lilted to our ears, we slowed down and took in the sight: about twenty or so people who hung around the fire, talking, eating, dancing, laughing, some people cooking food over the flames, and a girl who manned the turntables a little ways off. She seemed extremely immersed in what she was doing or listening to because Ava startled her when she hugged her from behind.

"Alright, Wes, I am gonna- Ava!" The girl had lilac hair pulled up in two buns and long sweeping bangs, amber eyes, and a brightly coloured mix-matched outfit. She laughed and picked Ava up, swinging her around. Ava laughed hysterically and hugged her friend for dear life.

"Alyssa! It is sooo good to see you! You look HOT!"

"Oh Avey, you look so friggin' gorgeous. Like ho-ly crap!"

I waited awkwardly for them while they giggled incomprehensible compliments until Ava introduced Alyssa and I. Alyssa gave me a great smile and a firm handshake before steering an unsuspecting Ava behind her audio equipment. I inched towards them and caught the last bit of their conversation.

"Avey, he is absolutely sexy! I mean, seriously! You guys going out, cause, trust me, you should! I can sense a strong cosmic connection-"

"Alyssa, shut up. Not here! My God."

I glimsped a punch from Ava before she stormed over to me and linked our arms and leading us to the group of people. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." she muttered under her breath.

My heart sank a little in dissapointment. I had hoped that Ava had agreed with what Alyssa had said.


	8. Moons

Eight

From out of nowhere a huge wide-shouldered guy draped an arm around Ava and pulled her in to him, a bit too close for comfort. Our arms de-linked and I saw her squirm uncomfortably and glance with a look of quiet fear. "Heyyy, if it ain't my lil' girl, Ava! Where you been? I haven't seen you at any raves lately."

"Hello, Wes. Fancy seeing you here." She replied in a dull, flat tone.

The guy didn't seem like her type, so the contact probably wasn't the good kind so I quickly and, as nonchalantly as I could, snuck an arm around her shoulder and pulled her away from him. He glared at me with squinted eyes as if he could barely see me regardless of the fact that I was two feet away from him. The dude _reeked _of weed or pot or whatever he'd been smoking, with a hint of beer. Seemed like a great guy.

"Hey, dude, that's my girl. What you doin' with my girl?"

I raised my eyebrows and stared at him like an imbecile. "Um..."

"Wes, this is Brock, my _boyfriend._"

Well, hell, was I really? I felt like running to the moon and back. I felt like I could take on a Groudon and win! Jeez, if she said I was her boyfriend, I could do the impossible.

"Aw, really? That's too bad."

He shrugged and stumbled away, leaving me grinning from ear-to-ear. Ava sighed and looked up at me, studying my face before giggling.

"Why are you smiling so much?"

"Did you mean what you said?"

She paused, her mouth slightly open as she smiled, remembering what she had, indeed, said. She gave me a shrew little smile.

"Yep."

I smiled and gently slid my fingers around hers, and she sighed contently as if holding hands felt right. It did.

"Wanna meet my friends? I think you'll like them."

"Sure, I would love to."

We strolled hand-in-hand through the mass of people, weaving in and out of clustered groups; all the while she hummed and swung our clasped hands carelessly. Ava stopped in front of a group of very, well, _colourful, _people. She threw her hands over head and shouted, "HI GUYS!" The ring of people parted and yelled and laughed as they embraced Ava and let her in. I saw her black hair pop up every now and then, but other than that, the group of bodies had engulfed her and blocked her from my vision.

Suddenly, a slender hand shot out from the cluster and grabbed my wrist, yanking me into the mass of people. I soon found myself surrounded by people, but most noteworthy, was a smushed Ava who laughed and grinned at me. "They're your friends?" I shouted over the commotion. She nodded, "Yeah, sorry, they're pretty weird, and, well, crazy. We're all close." I laughed.

"Couldn't tell."

My laughter ceased when a strong hand grabbed the collar of my blazer and wrenched me from Ava. I was lifted a bit off the ground so that I was face to face with a burly, gorilla of a man with long burgundy hair that covered his dark squinty eyes. "Who are you?" He rumbled in a deep, gravelly voice. I mustered up what manliness I had left and replied in my deepest voice, "Brock. Who are you?"

"Destry," he stated, "nice to meet you. Sorry, I couldn't see you from down there." With that he placed me gently on the ground just outside the group of people, who had all begun to spread out to get a good look at me. Ava made a dancey, sort of skipping movement over towards me and carefully intwined her fingers around mine. "Guys," she gestured to the group, "this is Brock, my boyfriend. Brock," she gestured to me, "these are my friends." I would be called a liar to say I didn't love the way she said "boyfriend".

The group all grinned and waved until one petite girl of at least seventeen ran up and hugged me. The rest was just a huge snowball affect because I soon had five or so people hugging me at once. Finally Ava told them to take it easy and I was able to breathe again; we all then just simply sat down and played rock, paper, scissors till the ultimate loser was decided and forced to get us all food. I was soon acquainted with Ava's most noteworthy pals. Lily, a tall, lanky, girl with curly auburn hair that bounced around her face in countless crazy curly-cues, was Ava's childhood friend and they had known each other since they were five. They had gotten to know each other after Lily had shoved Ava and Ava had punched her back, resulting in a five minute time out. They had been inseparable ever since.

Jewels was the petite young lass who had first hugged me, which, from what I heard, wasn't unusual for her. The spontaneous little strawberry blonde was known to break out in dance at random times and sing at the top of her lungs in crowded places. Hugging strangers was one of the rather normal things she did. Destry, the gorilla, (which, to my dismay, was his nickname), had met Ava in the 6th grade when he was a scrawny little tween. She had stood up for him when he was getting bullied countless times and, eventually, managed to bring an end to the bullies reign. Destry finally hit puberty in the 8th grade, but when he did, he shot up like a weed and gained some formidable muscles.

Stark, a lean, intimidating, guy of twenty-two with long, dark, dark brown hair that covered the majority of his face in jagged chunks was a strange, morose kind of fellow. At first he was very withdrawn and aloof of others (especially myself), however, after Ava and her friends started poking fun at him, his shielded mien shattered and he surprised me with witty comebacks and hysterical laughter. He was rather deep, Ava told me, her being a close friend of his, she had gotten to know him more and had figured out how he worked. To most he was withdrawn and secluded simply because of his extreme anxiety and shyness, especially in awkward situations. Because of this he usually put no effort in getting to know others and appeared cold and mean, but, with someone like Ava and Jewels around, his cold exterior would vanish and he would reveal his wit, kindness, and expertise in Bird Pokemon (coincidentally, of course, it had nothing to do with his name).

And finally, the last member of Ava's strange gang was Suki, a rather normal looking girl, except for her silver bob and striking yellow eyes. She was a great conversationalist; she talked fast, but still took in and understood everything you said and, really, she seemed to care. Suki was very likable, despite her odd features, and was cute and bouncy, but, an inside joke between the group of friends was that she was really an alien. When asked the question, she would just laugh and smile mysteriously, never answering the question but would always declare plainly that she liked the moon (the third one, called Yue, which was silvery blue. New Earth was _much _larger than Old Earth, in fact, they were still discovering other regions).

As I met the others and introduced myself and listened to their crazy stories, laughing hysterically as they did at their jokes, I found myself, somewhat, at home with these people. With Ava's warm hand in mine. With the way I'd catch her looking up at me shyly from behind her hair. With the way she wanted to talk to me when the crescent moon (the second one, which was visible tonight) was high in the sky, and when she wanted to talk alone.


	9. Fireworks

Author's Note~ Very mushy content ahead. You've been warned.

Nine

I followed Ava to a cluster of sea-worn rocks that jutted out into the rising tide. She clambered unto the tallest one and patted the spot next to her, and, with a smile, I climbed up the rock and took a seat. Ava smiled and closed her eyes, basking in the crescent moon's soft light; I carefully took her hand in mine and she rested her head on my shoulder, sighing contently.

"I know we only met today, but, I feel like I've known you my whole life." She said quietly, as if she were reading a poem. I smiled to myself as I watched the tide gush around us, and listened to her steady breathing. As weird as it sounded, it _did _feel like I've known Ava my whole life. She was the girl I'd been looking for. No matter how many models and actressess and downright pretty girls I met, none of them could compare to Ava. As these thoughts swirled around inside my head, I realized how corny they were, but also how true.

"You know, I feel the same way. It's weird, but, you're the first girl I've ever felt so..." _In love with. _That's what I wanted to say, but I couldn't. I felt like my tongue had swollen up, leaving me helpless. Regardless of my awkward shyness, she replied, "I know what you mean," and examined our intwined hands delicately with a look of comfort in her eyes.

"It's just, I don't know. When I was a teenager I always felt like I just _had _to have a girlfriend in order to be happy. My parents said they were soulmates, and when my Mom died, I felt that if I had my own soulmate, I could be just like how my parents used to be. But, no matter who I met, she was never _her._ So, I gave up, until now, 'cause now..." I stopped my nostalgia-filled story as my eyes met hers, because I knew, she understood. Ava placed her hand on my cheek, and studied my face compassionately.

"'Cause now, you have me."

Something peculiar happened. Something wonderfully peculiar that I had never before in my life, felt. I was wonderstruck, amazed, and in awe at how amazing this emotion felt. It felt like a thousand fireworks exploding throughout my being, like the wonderful surge of speeding waves crashing against a rock, it felt like flying. And in all of that incredible chaos that I felt from within, I could still hear my quick heartbeat in my ears that reminded me that I was still, strangely, alive. Alive and in love with the girl I've yearned for all these years, that was only inches away.

Without another thought, I brushed her hair out of her eyes and leaned forward, closing my eyes as our lips touched. Ava wove her fingers through my hair as I cradled her body in my arms, all the while, feeling her heart beat against mine. The sensation was surreal. The internal chaos I felt before? It was nothing compared to this. All the nervousness and awkwardness? Vanished. Poof. It was gone. Sure, yeah, I felt sparks, I felt fireworks for that matter, I felt all the things cheesy romance novels have described and _more_, because, no matter how cheesy the novel, it spoke the _truth._

As we gently broke apart, I rested my forehead on hers and murmured, "Ava Price, I love you."


End file.
